Most prior water spouts of the type used at bathtubs, wash basins or the like have a more or less circular cross section which releases the water flow in the form of a column which, at least initially, has a similar cross section. The impact of the concentrated flow on the bathtub or the like or on water already contained in the tub produces an undesirable amount of noise and splashing.
These effects can be mitigated to some extent by aeration attachments which entrain air bubbles in the flow but such devices reduce water flow rate and are prone to clogging.
The columnar outflow of water from the typical bathtub water spout is also not particularly pleasing from the esthetic standpoint.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,328, issued June 15, 1982, and the related U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,949, issued May 10, 1983, disclose a water spout which is less subject to the problems discussed above as water is released from the spout in the form of a long thin curtain. Impact effects are not concentrated at a single small area of the tub or its contents as in the more conventional construction.
In the prior construction identified above, the water flow is wholly confined within a flattened nozzle until it is released from the spout through a thin slot outlet and the flow path to the outlet is defined by two very closely spaced parallel internal walls. Consequently, minor amounts of deposition of solids on the internal walls, such as often occurs within water conduits, can easily disrupt the uniformity of the sheet-like water outflow. Cleaning of such deposits from within the spout is difficult at best. The width of the curtain like outflow is also noticeably variable as it is dependent on flow rate.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,458, issued Apr. 30, 1985, describes a spout which also dispenses water in a sheet-like flow and which can be cleaned more easily as the flow guiding surface is exposed. In this case the flow travels along the upper surface of a curved shelf along a flow path which becomes increasingly more horizontal towards the end where the sheet-like flow is released into the receptacle. The construction requires that flow rate be limited if the water curtain is to impact at a predetermined fixed region of the receptacle as increases in flow rate above a certain level cause the water to shoot outward and impact at increasingly greater distances from the spout. This can be discomforting to users, particularly if the water is extremely hot or cold.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 372,347, issued Nov. 1, 1887, describes a bathtub having built-in shower spray apertures which extend along the walls of the tub. Pivotable water gathering hoods can be shifted to intercept the spray to cause the flow to travel down the walls of the bathtub at times when the user does not desire the shower like inflow or when it is desired to clean the bathtub. An inflow which travels along the inside wall of the receptacle is not particularly attractive and can be discomforting under some circumstances. Users of wash basins in public restrooms, for example, often avoid touching water which has contacted the walls or collected in the basin as the walls may be unclean.
Ideally, a water spout of the type which delivers a thin curtain of water should be easily cleanable and should deposit the inflow at a predetermined region which does not change substantially when flow rate is varied. The flow should remain broad and continuous when flow rates through the spout are reduced to low levels and its is desirable that the inflow fall freely into the receptacle rather than scouring along an interior wall. The prior art does not provide a construction which combines these attributes.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.